‘Rookie’ pilot defended British cities against 40 Nazi bombers – on his own

French pilot Yves Mahi single-handedly fought off 40 Nazi bombers that were attacking one of Britain’s most beautiful cities – on his first time in combat.

Yves Mahi fought off 40 Nazi bombers (Picture: Caters)

Yves Mahi was returning from an RAF training flight in his Hawker Hurricane when he saw flames rising from York as it was pounded by the Luftwaffe.

The 23-year-old Frenchman dived in with machine guns blazing and downed a Heinkel He111 bomber – and when he turned on the other planes, they left.

His brave exploits 70 years ago this week are now to be marked in an exhibition at the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington, near York.

Director Ian Reed said: ‘Yves Mahi’s intervention was in the nick of time, as the bombers were just about to attack Rowntrees’ main factory, which, unbeknown to anyone, had an area filling ammunition with high explosive. The outcome could have been catastrophic.’

The attack on April 29, 1942, was one of Adolf Hitler’s so-called Baedeker Raids to destroy picturesque English cities in retaliation for an attack on Lübeck.

The London Edinburgh Express train was blown off the tracks in the raid (Picture: Caters)

In 90 minutes the bombers killed 95 York civilians and injured 212 others and damaged a third of all homes.

But it could have been far worse without Mr Mahi, who escaped from occupied France to join the RAF and was later given a civic reception and military medal by French leader General de Gaulle.

A house in Nunnery Lane, York, lies damaged after the attack (Picture: Caters)

He was shot down in Russia in 1944 and captured by the Germans but escaped and returned to France.